Something Ordinary
by strawberry9506
Summary: Kurama's mission is to protect the girl who never dies. Though could this immortal actually transform his seemingly chaotic life into one so...ordinary? Hotaru Sagara is no one special, just your average middle-school teacher with an appetite. Though after her meeting with a red headed 'she-man' she soon discovers that her life can't possibly be ordinary much longer.
1. Fukyuu no Kohaku part 1

It's usually easier to lose someone you never knew.

"Sagara-sensei, must we really do this?" asked one of her very worn out students. She turned towards the voice that'd questioned her, clearly unafraid to display her rage towards her innocent students.

"When I say run, you run! Don't question me!" she shouted before blowing upon her whistle, which easily scattered everyone around her. Now the reason of her student's complaint is in fact reasonable. For their beloved P.E. teacher had just force everyone in their class to do one hundred laps around their extremely large basketball court. Of course, this teacher is still very much loved by her student. It's just really hard for her to stay lovable when one's starving from missing breakfast.

Fortunately, her students were saved mercifully by the bell after their 31st lap.

"Thank you Sagara-sensei!" shouted the class before quickly making their escape towards the safety of their changing room.

"Hey! Get back here you ungrateful students! Finish your laps!" she shouted before moving to run after them. Though, her attempt proved futile after she'd tripped over the bench. She cursed silently under her breath as she frantically rubbed her left shin trying to hasten the pain away.

Hotaru Sagara, a young woman in her twenties, fair and tall with a length of dark hair tied up in a high pony tail. Her eyes a mix of brown and grey, though, it goes without saying that she is well, nothing out of the ordinary.

She had finally made her way back into the school, after her little hunger phase with the children. She had been in the school for about three years now and none of her students had managed to successfully complete her hundred lap challenge. Disappointing as it is, she held her little backpack against her abdomen, as she increased the pace in her steps hoping to reach the cafeteria soon. But to her dismay, this only heightens her clumsiness as she bumped into an innocent passerby.

"Sorry," muttered a voice. Hotaru looked up only to see a stranger with bright forest green eyes and long, vibrant red hair, wearing a buttoned up t-shirt and slacks. She soon discovered how very familiar this person was and also noticed from the book he was carrying, that he was the new teacher.

Though, instead of apologizing for her walking so carelessly into the stranger, Hotaru decided upon something else…

"You know" she started, taking a step back to properly scan the full image of this new teacher. "It is compulsory for all female teachers to wear skirts. No slacks." She continued, grinning as she did.

"I beg your pardon?" asked the teacher in controlled irritation.

"I'm just saying that you don't have to be shy or insecure or anything of the sort." she said, now circling the innocent teacher.

"I'm not a women." Said the stranger

"There's no need to hide it, Sensei-_chan_." sighed Hotaru, patting her poor colleague on the arm. She could hear the teacher's breath of defeat as well as her rumbling stomach.

"Gosh, I'm hungry!" she whined raising her arms in the air, dropping her backpack. "Oops." She muttered, slightly embarrassed but fairly satisfied for the new teacher is now trying to be more of a man by picking it up for her. "Thank you very much, Sensei-chan." She teased, gratefully retrieving her bag.

"Say, I'm going to grab something to eat. Care to join me for some girl time?" she teased again, unable to resist the urge.

"It's OK. I am not one for girl time. Plus, I was on a hurry myself." He said with as much self-control he could muster, all to prevent himself from strangling the senior teacher for her constant teases.

"Are you really? Oh well, guess I'll catch up with you in the staff room later, Sensei-chan." She said waving a quick farewell before practically sprinting for the cafeteria. That encounter had sustain her hunger for a while, though it's best not to keep her hungry for too long, else, she might very well force her next class of students into polishing the ceilings of the school.

* * *

"It looks good!" she squealed as she opened her bowl of instant noodles. She found it strange how the cafeteria was closed at this time of day, and had resulted to buying something from a nearby vending machine. She sat there with her legs folded comfortably beneath the window to the staff room. It was convenient to have such a reliable source of food so close to one's working premises. All she had to do was climb out of the window!

"Hotaru!" cried an angry voice from above her. The cry startled Hotaru into choking upon a mouthful of noodles thus, resulting to her having to repeatedly bang her chest just to prevent herself from choking to death.

"Keiko-chan!" she breathes, after swallowing that killer mouthful. "You almost killed me." she continued whilst panting for breath as she turned to the voice that had frightened her so. It was none other than her fellow teacher, Keiko Yukimura.

"How many times must I tell you not to do this?" breathe Keiko angrily as she crossed her arm above the swell of her abdomen.

"Do what?" asked Hotaru, carelessly taking another mouthful of noodles.

"Skip meetings for snacks." said Keiko as she reached out the window to roughly tug her collogues' hair.

"Meeting?" she gasped just before jumping to her feet to squeeze her way back through the window. "The one in the conference room?" she asked, frantically searching her desk for her stationary. It all started to make sense now. The empty staff room, the closed cafeteria, it was all due to the monthly teacher's meeting.

"Hotaru, hurry up!" shouted Keiko already by the door, and this is where Hotaru notices how sometimes being pregnant with your first child does not necessarily mean immobility, especially when it comes to an important meeting. Though, maybe the exception was solely for the Yukimuras seeing how far ahead Keiko was from Hotaru by the time she reached door. This seems to be a little ritual of theirs, Hotaru would find herself missing a very crucial detail of an upcoming meeting from time to time and Keiko, not wanting her friend's resignation any time soon, she vowed to keep Hotaru's tardiness to a minimum.

Fortunately, Keiko's effort proved effective, when they arrived only moments before the headmaster.

...

"I really owe you one, Keiko!" shouted Hotaru, swinging an arm around Keiko's neck, giving her a slightly boyish sideways hug.

"You owe me lots, Hotaru." Answered Keiko, glaring at her friend for their unnecessary sprint to the conference room had she only been less forgetful, "Don't be late next time. I might not be around to help you." She muttered, helping herself up out from the rigid wooden chair.

"Don't say that Keiko-chan!" whined Hotaru, following closely behind Keiko as they made their way back to the teacher's lounge. "It's not like you'd be away forever!" she joked, but seeing the downed expression of her best friend, she reached quietly for her hand and held it tight.

"Is it your baby?" she muttered, soft enough so that no one else would hear them. And Hotaru's heart only twisted further when Keiko nodded affirmative, keeping her head down. "What's wrong with it?" she asked, and she felt Keiko tightened the grip on her hand.

"Nothing, I'm just worried." She answered softly, "I'm due in another week." She continued and Hotaru literally ran into a wall. "What?" she shouted, drawing even more attention to herself after her collision. "Next week? What are you doing here then? Shouldn't you like be in a hospital or something?" she continued, but was stopped once again by Keiko's clear display of concern.

"Hey," she called, tugging Keiko's neat, low pony tail just to grasp her attention. "Don't worry too much about it." said Hotaru, "You're going to be a great mother. Look how you're taking care of _me_?" she continued, grinning indirectly lightening the mood and Keiko had actually let out a brief chuckle (or choke) at Hotaru's comment.

"You _are_ worse than a child." Keiko answered devilishly smiling back at Hotaru. "I'll be leaving for the hospital tomorrow, just to remind you." She continued, her devilish smile turning more into a glare.

"Of c-c-course I remembered! I'll be there to check you in." Hotaru answered nervously, just before granting Keiko a proper and hopefully a more comforting hug.

...

"You sure you don't want a lift home?" asked Keiko, swinging her handbag on to her shoulder. The staff room was mostly empty save a few clerks and several overworking teachers.

"No, I'm good. Got a few things to finish up before I leave." answered Hotaru, pointing at the hill of unmarked worksheets and assignments.

"Can't you take them home with you?"

"You know how easily I forget things, if I were to take them home, I'd probably never return It." She joked halfheartedly; she doesn't exactly enjoy having extremely bad memory.

"That is true." Muttered Keiko to herself, secretly reflecting the many past events where Hotaru's memory failed her tremendously.

"Anyway," Hotaru stressed, pulling Keiko away from further reflective thoughts of her. "I'll finish all I can now, that way I'd be able to come see you after work tomorrow." She continued, smiling excitingly at the thought itself. Keiko herself couldn't help but smile at her friend's concern and enthusiasm. "Now go! Yusuke's probably by the door now waiting to drag you out." She said, nodding her head in full agreement to her little statement.

"He is n-" but just as she said that. "KEIKO!" a voice interrupted followed by the loud slam of the door against its frame, and entered a young man with black messy hair, dressed in a pair of jeans and an un-tucked peach colored button up T-shirt.

"Do you want to go home or not?" he shouted, out of frustration and probably concern as he stomp towards the person in question.

"Yusuke!Uncle Ramen!" shouted Hotaru, jumping out of her seat to wave her hands in the air in gentle greeting of Keiko's infamous husband. Though her last comment only sent Yusuke's fist her way. She dodged it barely and even went on to lay a punch by his abdomen before making her way behind Keiko "Keiko-chan! Uncle Ramen's bullying me!" she whined, just before sticking her tongue out to further taunt Yusuke's fail attempt.

"Stop calling me that, Sagara! Don't think I won't charge you for your free meals!" he shouted, again in frustration as roughly caressed away the stinging pain of his abdomen.

"Keiko-chan! Look at him! He's threatening to rob me of ramen! That's too much!" she gasped, only to receive a gentle slap on the head from Keiko.

"You are honestly worse than a child, Hotaru." muttered Keiko, flashing a smile at her friend before waltzing out the door, with Yusuke following closely behind.

"Yusuke!" called Hotaru, now settling back behind her desk. "Look after Keiko-chan, Oyaji." Yusuke gave her nothing less than a determined stare. "You don't have to tell me that, Hotaru." He answered, just before walking away out of her sight to accompany Keiko.

* * *

90 minutes later,

Hotaru was only one-third through her entire workload and after glancing about the empty staff room was when she realized that if this keeps up, she was going to miss dinner as well. It certainly devastated her, but she was determined to finish this before heading home for dinner.

"I'm almost halfway there!" she shouted weakly in attempt to motivate herself.

"You sure are determined." said a voice from the door. She turned to it only to see the stranger she met earlier.

"Sensei-chan!" she called, surprised at how he was still there at this hour and also surprised at herself for not noticing his presence in the staff room any earlier. "When did you get here? How long had you been here?" she shouted, unable to control the shock and confusion.

She felt him flinched slightly at her adding the prefix '-chan' behind sensei, but he brushed that off to greet her with a smile. "I entered just after Yusuke and Keiko left. You were already so caught up with your work, I hadn't the heart to interrupt you." He answered.

"You know Keiko-chan? And Uncle Ramen?" she asked, his words only doubling her shock.

"Yes, I met them during my high school years." he answered, now walking towards her desk. "Keiko, also requested I give you this when the time comes." He continued, pulling out a packet of beef ramen, and Hotaru knew realized then and there how much she loves and appreciates Keiko.

...

Hotaru practically sprinted her way towards the kitchenette in search for a bowl and a pair of chopsticks, and she looked nothing more but an overexcited puppy when her bowl of ramen stood deliciously ready on the table. But it was just when she was about to dig in, was when it dawned upon her.

"Have you eaten?" she asked, turning towards the red head stranger who was now seated across her by the table.

"Yes, I have." He answered. " Since when?" she asked obviously confused by his answer, she couldn't possibly missed the scent of food if it was in the staff room.

"I had mine at Yusuke's when I went to pick up your dinner." He answered, his smile still plastered on his face. She stared at him momentarily, slightly touched by his act of kindness towards a completely stranger like her, though It was out of a favor for a friend.

Her following action certainly took the stranger by surprise, since she ran out of her seat, across the room and out the window uttering nothing more but a "Be right back." He found her actions queer and he had considered going after her but he never had the chance to do so, since she returned as soon as she left.

"Here." She said placing a bowl of instant noodles before him. "That's yours!" she said, smiling satisfyingly as she took her seat. "Itadakimasu!" she shouted, before officially digging into her bowl of ramen. His gaze flickered alternately from her face to the instant noodles, he soon realized that perhaps the girl before him could not bring herself to eat in front of someone, unless they were eating along with her.

"You shouldn't lie about food." She muttered, pausing for a breath of air after all the chewing and swallowing.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked, slightly confused by her words.

"I'm saying, if you couldn't possibly had dinner by Yusuke's. They're too caught up with making arrangements for their stay at the hospital." She answered, before slurping on more ramen. "Plus, this isn't Yusuke's cooking." She added, chewing rapidly.

His eyes widen slightly after listening to her explanation and it was, for the most part true. He had arrived at Yusuke's Ramen house, to find it close. But receiving the request from Keiko to send food to a certain teacher, he entered the restaurant despite the 'closed' sign. They had offered him dinner, but he refused seeing how uptight they were about the baby on the way, and left only with that single packet of Beef Ramen prepared by no one _other_ than Yusuke.

He smiled at the girl's gesture of concern, and accepted the meal before him. "Itadakimasu." He said softly, not wanting to disrupt her.

"So the she-man smiles." Whispered Hotaru, and she could feel him choke on the noodles just as she did earlier.

* * *

**A/N: **The character occurred to me and I couldn't resist writing it down. It's been awhile since I last written anything so I think many of my older flaws has re-surfaced. Anyway, I hope I'd be able to be rid of them permanently soon Thank you for reading the First part of the first chapter! The second should be out very soon, so do stay tuned!


	2. Fukyuu no Kohaku part 2

"Please stop that…" he muttered, once again irritated by her teases and accusation of him being a women. She had been greeting him and calling him such since their first meeting and he dislikes it wholeheartedly. Her constant teases were also one of the reasons why he has been finding it so hard to keep a straight face, and just be nice to her like he would everyone else. Seated by the desk across of her, he watched as she flashed a smile at him before returning to marking worksheets. He couldn't help but realize how she could smile so warmly even to a person she only just met. Perhaps it was because he had fed her.

"I'll stop that when I want to!" she said, nodding her head slightly without looking at him. "And…" she started, "You really don't need to stay here with me. I will be fine on my own." She continued, glancing up at him briefly as though to check if he's really listening.

"It's not safe for a lady to walk home alone." He answered, flipping the page of newspaper that Hotaru offered to keep him busy.

"Oh! So you wanted me to walk _you_ home?" she stated, grinning at him. There she goes again. "You know, I'm not sure how two ladies walking home together would make a difference." She continued, nodding at her previous statement.

"I'm not a- "

"I know, I know. I was only joking." She said, seriously for the first time. "Thanks." she muttered, her gaze never leaving the sheets of paper before her.

He smiled back, deciding that he should give the teasing grudge a rest since she had.

"You know, things could move faster if you would let me help you with some." He suggested

"I refuse!" she shouted, her pen moving faster than ever. "It's my job, thus I'll do it completely!" she muttered, trying her hardest to further quicken her marking speed. He chuckled slightly before helping himself out of his seat and moving towards the door.

"Where are you going?!" she asked, miraculously pausing her pen.

"I was going to find you something to drink." He answered.

"Oh, really? Well, there's a vending machine outside the window." She said, pointing her finger towards the casement window by her left. Registering her hint, he turned around and started walking towards the same window she's climbed out of earlier.

"Got it, now, go on with your work." He said, before he smoothly made his way out of the staff room. He found the vending machine slightly along the wall of the building and understood how she'd managed to find him that bowl of instant noodles so quick. He inserted some change and dialed the code for a can of coffee. But it was when he was already by the window sill was when he realized something crucial.

"Say, Sagara-sensei." He called, and she merely granted him a questioning glance before returning to her work. "Mind me asking, but do you know why Keiko insisted on bringing you food when you're so close to a vending machine?" he asked, stepping into the staffroom.

"I wonder about it myself." She said, "She mentioned something about eating proper meals, so she feeds me." she continued before stretching her arms in the air, granting herself a short break.

"You two seem close." He asked, placing her can of coffee by her desk.

"We are!" she shouted enthusiastically, as she clumsily opened her drink, nearly spilling it on her work. "I first met her when we were doing teacher's training. She had been looking out for me since!" she paused, taking a sip of coffee. "I really do owe her a lot!" she shouted and practically finished half of her drink in a few gulps, just before returning to her work.

He sighed and shook his head at the degree of her innocence, this young women before him was like no other. Friendly and warm with childlike innocence, though how long will it last?

…

"I'm done!" she cheered, finally laying her pen down after a long night of work. She turned to the wall clock and was taken aback by the time. It was fifteen minutes past eleven and she had kept the poor teacher with her the entire time.

"Congratulations." He said, closing the papers more times than he could count.

"Let's go home."

She could barely keep her excitement from taking full control of her actions. Her finished work meant that she would be able to follow Keiko to the hospital tomorrow. She was practically skipping in her steps as they made their way down the hallway, despite the fatigue of overworking. Though, she realized she would not have been able to accomplish this without a certain teacher.

"Hey sensei-chan," she called, and he turned around instantly, probably irritated as well. "Thanks for staying with me." she said, giggling slightly from the joy of it all. He stared at her, probably confused by her sudden laughter but she somehow knew that he understands how much tomorrow meant to her. Though, what happened in response to her giggles amazed her just a little. Roughly patting the top of her head, he chuckled and said "Reward my efforts tonight, by stopping the nicknames. Please?" she stared at him, slightly at awe, he doesn't look the type to be _this_ friendly with someone like _her_ nor did she expected him to be so tall.

"If you're going to say that, you could at least give me your name." said Hotaru, punching his arm away from her head. He chuckled further at her but kept his hands to himself as he revealed his name to be "Shuichi Minamino."

…

One moment, they were walking carelessly out of the school, the next they were being ambushed by a troupe of oddly formed thieves. They were surrounded by eight of them at the least, shrouded with layers of dark clothing over what seemed like ninja overalls each holding a blade of with individual length. They weren't moving, not yet that is, as though they were waiting for something to happen. Minamino told her to stay behind him, but she wasn't sure how that was going to help, they were both weaponless and would hardly stand a chance against them all. Unless of course, Minamino was going to try to negotiate with them which seem to be the more civilized way to solving this aside from fighting.

"When I give you the signal, you run for the car." He muttered, soft enough that only she could hear.

"What?! No! You're not thinking of taking all of them on by yourself?!" she complained, but seeing how his eyes was narrowed and focused and almost…dangerous, she daren't argue further.

"I won't be alone, just trust me." he said, one final time before all hell broke loose. With a loud cry by what seems to be the leader of the troupe, the battle begins. She flinched as a loud cry of thunder erupted around them and suddenly, the thieves were scattered by the sudden appearance of a katana wielding man.

"Now!" he shouted and she jetted towards the car without a second thought running pass the mysterious swordsman. She could hear the sounds of swords clashing and what was very likely a blade cutting through flesh and bones. She wanted to turn back so badly, just to see that he was safe, she couldn't bear sleeping through the night knowing that he died for her sake. But before she could even try to do so, something yanked her hair hard forcing her to fall backwards. She panicked slightly, but she received no chance to register her situation before a bloodstained blade came piercing through her heart.

…

"So Koenma's warning was right. The first attack is tonight." He thought as he scanned the troupe of demons before them. They were nothing they couldn't handle though not without difficulty; he didn't want to risk anything that might endanger her life. If she really is who they said she was their first objective would be to kill her. He instructed her to run when he the time came and when Hiei arrived, she did so without further question now it's the matter of eliminating them quickly. He summoned his rose whip from under his breath which had caught two out of the five before him by surprise. He sliced through them effortlessly but the remaining three merely teleported themselves out of sight, two seconds later, they reappeared behind him their blades already descending upon him, he dodge to the right, but not without severing from a miscalculation. One of the three blades made contact with his shoulder and his left arm now sway weakened and blood drench. With a tweak of his spirit energy, he showered the three demons with the thorns of his whip. Another fell victim to his attack the other two disappeared once again without a trace. This wasn't God speed, it was teleportation, making it almost impossible to trace. Hiei managed to eliminate two of his three opponents, and from the look on his face, he was equally irritated by their extra skill.

"I see you're growing rusty, spirit detectives." said a voice, stern and stoic. He turned to it and learnt that it was the very demon he failed to defeat.

"Roku, Hachi, Kyuu, enough." He commanded, and the remaining figures disappeared and instantly reappeared behind their potential leader. "This is no immortal." He muttered just before dragging something out from behind him into the moonlight. Seeing the length of her hair being pulled at dragged by the demons filthy hands, the pale lifeless hands and the tip of a sword sticking out from her chest, he dreaded this but he couldn't deny it. It was Hotaru.

Maybe it was because of the fact that he had just failed a mission, or the fact that he was careless to let an innocent woman die, or perhaps he was angry at himself to think that she was safe to begin with but one thing was for sure, he wanted them dead. He drew his whip once more, readying himself to attack, but Hiei caught him by the arm signaling him to cease. It was pointless fighting and gaining further injuries if they no longer have anything to protect.

"Release the girl and leave." Muttered Kurama, with all the self-control he had left. The demon grinned and roughly flipped her body towards him. Kurama flitted and regretfully caught her in his arms, his heart wrenched seeing her eyes opened yet cold to the world.

"You truly have fallen, Youko Kurama. Feeling pity for a girl whom we all thought was Fukyuu no Kohaku. What a sad ending, to be killed by mistake." He laughed before disappearing into the darkness.

His gaze never left her face, he still couldn't believe she was dead. As her lifeless body lay coldly within his arms, his rage left him momentarily but it was only replaced with despair. He pulled that cursed sword from her body and was stained further by her blood. This seemed more like the reality before him. If he didn't let her die, he killed her himself. He raised his hand to her face, closing her eyes shut. He wasn't sure how he'd face Keiko, how he was going to break the news to her that her best friend is dead. His injured shoulder ached but the pain within him was far greater. He just met her, but he knew he could never forget her. Those last few hours he had spent with her made him felt more human than ever before. The world just lost a precious soul. If only he had agreed to this mission. If only he had never met her, maybe it wouldn't have hurt this much.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, stroking the side of her cold and pale face. She still had her innocent beauty even in death was what he realized, just like a firefly. "Hotaru." He called her name for the first and final time.

…

She was attacked, that thief attacked her and she was injured, she must have passed out for a while because the pain she felt when she'd regain consciousness was unbearable. She heard him, she heard him call her name, and her eyes opened softly. He looked sad. She was slightly touched by this, seeing how concern he was despite having only met him earlier that day, but perhaps he was overreacting since she wasn't dead or anything. So she thought, but it was before she realized the pain within her chest as her lungs begged for air. She inhaled but started choking due to the sudden intake of air. She coughed repeatedly, and felt his arm tightened repositioning her towards a steeper angle.

"Hotaru?" he called with disbelief lingering, as he pulled her close. And thank God he did, for she felt cold as ice.

"You OK?" she whispered coarsely, shock to how dry her throat was, in fact she was shock to learn how stiff and rigid she felt and how her chest hurts like mad! Though, she was slightly more concern to how her fellow teacher was fining having to fight eight crazy, weapon wielding thieves. Just slightly concern, nothing much.

"We should take her to Yusuke's." said the man she recognized to be the swordsman in black. How does he know Yusuke? And shouldn't they be taking her to a hospital? Or perhaps report this to the police but not to Yusuke's.

"No!" she shouted, and regretted it immediately for it only increased the pain in her chest. She glanced down and noticed the amount of blood, how did she survive this? Putting that aside temporarily, she returned to protest. "Not to Yusuke's." she whispered, pausing to catch her breath. "Keiko will freak." she whispered again, readjusting herself to gain more warmth. "Not good." She added, realizing she can no longer speak in long sentences. She felt the teacher chuckle and slithered his arm beneath her knees to lift her from the ground. His sudden actions surprised her and so did the speed of which he did it, the friction between the air and her skin when he lifted her sent chills down her spine, she jabbed him in the chest with what strength she had left and muttered. "Cold." He merely smiled and started walking, towards where she didn't bother.

"Hiei," he called, probably referring to his sword wielding friend. "We should take her to Yukina's first. I doubt it'll be good to worry Keiko with her condition." He said as his step slowly came to a halt. "Plus, it's been awhile since you've visited the newlyweds." He continued, and she heard a soft curse coming from the swordsman before he disappeared from sight. "Where did he…" she started but hadn't the strength to continue. "He will meet us there. Don't worry." He answered, and she heard the car doors open, though she wasn't too sure how he'd got them open with her occupying both of his hands. He lowered her to the front passenger seat and slowly removed his grip on her. The cold she felt when he released her was almost unbearable but he return moments later, with a large winter coat.

"Better?" he asked, stroking his hand up her forehead after covering her with an alternative source of warmth. She nodded, though it was far better when he was holding on to her. "Rest. It's been a long day." He muttered giving her a smile of relief and pain before closing the car door.


	3. Intermission

She could feel the pain subside slightly, and she could feel her throat beginning to moisten, she was still very much confused by what had just happened and also of the identity of this red head teacher and his connection with Keiko and Yusuke. Shifting slightly, she tried to reposition herself so that she was facing the driver, though not without difficulty, her body still feels stiff. She was surprised at how she could achieve even that when she could barely lift a finger mere minutes earlier.

"Hey," she called and he glanced at her, meeting her eyes for a second just to indicate that he heard her, without needing to keep his eyes off the road. "What happened?" she asked, slightly irritated that she could not manage to utter more than three words at a time without feeling out of breath. She could sense his arm stiffening at the steering wheel after her words, what happened when she blacked out? Why is he reacting in such a fashion? He didn't answer her, and she would definitely pester the answer out of him if she hadn't glanced up to see his face. It was to put it bluntly, scary. He looked angry at something, enraged. His eyes were then pools of abhorrence; it was filled with pure disdain for something she doesn't know or want to know at that point of time. For all she knows, he could've been mad at her.

Deciding to save her words for when she could speak properly, she found her eyes wandering to his blood stained arm. Her heart had probably stopped for a moment then. He was injured and she was feeling awful about it, since it was her fault after all. Gathering her accumulating strength, she lifted her hand and stretched it towards his arm. Touching the blood stained sleeve, she muttered the words, "I'm sorry."

…

She called him, and he wasn't sure why he didn't answer her instantly, maybe he wanted her to stop talking and get some rest, but her words afterwards struck a chord. She asked what happened, and instantly images of her cold lifeless body flashed before him, and that impulsive need to kill the person who'd caused that resurfaced. That despair, rage and regret was all lingering within him. He would've probably remained in his replay of the incident, if she hadn't reached out and touch him. He turned to her, and could just barely hear her utter the words "I'm sorry"

He wanted to tell her it's alright, but after seeing her blood drained face, he couldn't. Despite her surviving all of this, she did in a sense, died because he failed to protect her. "We're almost there." Was all he could manage, before stepping on the pedals hoping to shorten their journey together as much as he could.

…

"I'll walk." She breathe, "On my own." she breathe again, "Get lost!" she panted, pushing his arm away to prevent him from trying to doing anything of the sort with that injured arm. They've arrived fifteen minutes later by the doors of the Kuwabara residence. She was greatly irritated by the fact that she was still speaking in such a detached fashion. Using all the strength she has in her, she pulled herself to her feet in and instant. But just as she was about to take her first step forward, he swept her off her feet, into his arm, kicked the car door close and was already heading towards the doors of a traditional Japanese house. "Put me down!" she shouted, "Now!" she continued, nearly choking herself.

"You are in no condition to walk or talk, so just stay still." He said, knocking on the door before them. And almost instantly, the door flew open, revealing a petit, red eyed yukina with her aqua blue hair tied into a messy bun. "You're here!" she squealed, pulling her red headed companion into the house before slamming it shut. "This way." She said, before shooting into one of their empty guest room. She'd met Yukina and her fiancé at the time, Kuwabara a few times before when they'd visit Yusuke's shop. From what she knew from Keiko, they were all friends from high school. "Perhaps that's how they met sensei-chan as well." she thought, as her stubborn colleague placed her upon the nicely prepared futon.

"Hotaru-chan, you're going to feel much better in just a moment." She said with her usual polite tone of voice. "Kurama-san, if you could please hold her up. It will be more comfortable that way." She continued, and her so-called hero obeyed, kneeling down on one knee he supported her as she tried to maintain. She turned to him, with his face positioned slightly above her left shoulder. "Sensei-chan," she called, and he turned to face her. "Weren't you," she pause to catch another breath of air. "Shuichi?" She felt his arms stiffened again, he was hesitating, but she was sure he would've said something if Yukina hadn't interrupted. "Let me know if it stings." She said, before stretching her hands towards the hole on Hotaru's chest. Her hands certainly caught Hotaru's attention as it started to emit a gentle greenish glow above her left breast where she was…attacked? _"They stabbed me… through the heart?"_ she thought, mentally slapping herself for not noticing her bleeding chest earlier. She was more confused than ever, especially when Yukina's glowing hands were actually draining the pain and discomfort. _"Who is she really?"_ she thought, turning once again towards the man on her left and wondered, _"Who are you?"_

"There! All done!" said Yukina, clasping her hands together to prove her satisfaction. "Here's some clothes you can change into Hotaru-chan." She said, pointing towards a pile of clothes lying by the foot of the futon. Hotaru nodded and smiled in thanks. Though only shortly before slapping him in the cheek, forcing him to face her, "Sensei-chan owes me an explanation." She said, her eyes displaying an equal amount of vigor she has towards her students. "I know." He answered, realizing that being silent will not help either of them. "But before that," she started, turning her attention to Yukina who was staring gleefully seeing the proximity between himself and Hotaru. "Yukina-chan!" she called, clearly pleased that she was able to properly speak once again. "Will your hand glowing skill work on an injured arm?" she asked, as though innocently curious. "Of course it would," she answered, "Oh! Kurama-san you're injured! I'm sorry, I didn't realize." She continued, pulling herself gracefully to her feet. "It's okay Yukina, you were preoccupied plus, I'm fine." He answered, only to be interrupted by Hotaru. "He's lying! He's been bleeding since we got into the car!" she shouted in protest. Yukina lectured him gently on the dangers of doing so, before instructing that he joins her and Kuwabara by the dining room to begin treatment. She bowed and smiled to indicate the end of her service and left the room.

"Hurry up and leave!" she shouted, pushing him away from her. Well, one thing's for sure. She'd definitely regained her strength. "Despite us being girls, sensei-chan. I'm just too shy to change in front of anyone." She said, hiding her face behind her hand's bashfully, certainly, a brilliant plan in sending him out the door within seconds.

"You really shouldn't keep such things a secret, Kurama-san." said Yukina, making the finishing touches in mending his injured arm. He only smiled at her and nodded in defeat, he still couldn't prevent the scene of Hotaru's death from replaying itself in his head. And he couldn't stop himself from feeling worse about it from every passing second.

"Kurama," called Kuwabara, "Are you listening?" he said, sitting across him at the love seat with Yukina. It was only then did he realize that Yukina had already finished with healing his arm and even went on to dress it before coming to take her place next to her husband.

"Sorry?" answered Kurama, for once, unaware of the topic of conversation. Kuwabara eyed him suspiciously, modeling his usual shorts and t-shirt. "Are you alright, Kurama?" he asked, "You kinda spaced out for quite a while there." He continued, offering him a cup of Japanese tea.

"He's concern for the immortal." answered the dark figure by the door.

"Hiei!" called Yukina gleefully, whilst Kuwabara turned displaying a mixture of both irritation and fear.

"It's nice of you to finally join us, Hiei." answered Kurama, taking a sip from his cup of tea, "Where had you been?" he continued, ignoring Hiei's prior statement

"Hiei came by just before you did and told us about Hotaru." said Kuwabara, shifting slightly in his seat. "After that, I'm guessing he went up to spirit world and Urameshi's to update them as well." he continued just as the demon made his way across the room and settled himself comfortably against the window. He told Yusuke? Thought the fox, turning to his comrade, questioning him with his gaze.

"Don't worry Kurama. The human still knows nothing about what happened." answered Hiei, knowing well of Kurama's suspicions.

"Kurama? Is that your real name, sensei-chan?" came a voice, followed by the gradual sounds of footsteps coming before him. Dressed in an overly large purple t-shirt with a pair of navy, knee length shorts, Hotaru stood confidently in front of him, shielded only by the coffee table. She had her hair weaved into a messy braid, hanging lazily down her left shoulder and was still lacking color in her face, but to see her safely on her feet again lightened his heart a little. Still, he could certainly live better if she had stopped with the nicknames.

"I believe I owe you an explanation, Sagara-sensei."

…

"So you guys are _spirit detectives_ and Yusuke, Uncle Ramen, is your leader?" she asked, using all her effort to prevent her laughter from taking over. She did believe it to some degree, they did save her and if Keiko was in her right mind to trust them, then there should be no reason for her not to. Though, after all that talk about Spirit World, Demon world, Spirit Users and Demons, she was more amazed than she was freaked out about Keiko being involve in all of this.

"And your newest mission includes monitoring me?" she asked, snapping herself back to the important stuff. She needed to find out all she could if she ever wants to prevent another ambush from occuring again. She doesn't want another casualty on her shoulders because of her.

"Yes," answered Kurama, she needed to learn more about him as well.

"Why?" she asked and she could feel the atmosphere between them tensed slightly. "Hotaru-chan!" called Yukina in mild distress, "Please," she started, "please try your best to accept what you are about to hear." she said, her eyes pleading for Hotaru to heed her request. Hotaru stared at her momentarily, but eventually nodded. She shouldn't have submitted to such a request, but she didn't want to dissapoint the person who had helped her.

"Sagara-sensei," he started, his eyes staring right into her soul. "We were to monitor you because you are no human. You are- no, you_ were_ Fukyuu no Kohaku. In other words, Kohaku of the Immortals."


	4. Kohaku of the Immortals

" Kohaku of the Immortals?" she asked, choosing to sit on the floor before she loses her balance completely, she had regain some of her strength but not enough to stand on her feet for too long. "Immortals, as in people who can't die right?" she continued, trying her best to keep a straight face, she wasn't sure if any of this were true or were they just pulling her leg. But still, who would go to such extends to play a prank on her? She held her breath briefly as the mysterious red head nodded at her question. "Then, if I'm this immortal…I can't die?" she said, and was mentally kicking herself for sounding like a retard as she connected the dots.

"Sagara-sensei," he called and she turned to him, finally realizing how far she had strayed into her own thoughts. "Allow me to explain further." He continued, placing a cup of hot tea before her. "The Immortals are as you said, but they are more than that. They originated from the first clan of demons to discover and drink from the Fountain of Youth, thus, gaining them their immortality. They will age but only till they have reached optimum mental and physical maturity. After that, they will remain as such for as long as eternity allows them. "he paused, as though checking to see if she was still with him. She nodded gently to indicate she was and he went on without a second thought.

"It wasn't long before they've gained a reputation of being the undefeated of the demon realm. Many of the greatest challenged them, but failed. But even the strongest will grow tired of their power after ruling for more than a Millennium. They eventually stepped down from their position as Ruler and the clan dispersed and went their separate ways. A few wanted a life of obscurity and went to live with the mountains of Human world, some chose to wander and live a life of a vagabond, others chose to put their immortality for sale, selling their services as paid assassins. Kohaku of the Immortal was the infamous leader of the latter group." She gasp, choking on her cup of tea.

"What? The leader of assasins… Kohaku-Me?" she said, and the group paid her no response. "Kohaku led the demon realm to an age of massacre in exchange for riches." He continued, before draining his cup of its contents. "Wait!" she begged, slamming her cup upon the wooden surface of the table. "How is this possible? Me, the leader of assassins, a millennium ago?" she asked, stroking her hand through her hair to calm herself slightly. "I mean I clearly don't remember doing any of that! How is it possible then? "she asked again, her gaze shifting from one individual to another, hoping for an answer.

She noticed how he looked at her with that almost sympathetic look. "It's because Kohaku had her memory rewired." He said, and she had to hold on to the coffee table just to keep herself sitting upright.

…

"What does that mean?" she asked, and it pained him to see her so shaken. Though, who wouldn't be, when you learn of your horrid past, he wanted to stop, but she deserves to know. "It means," he started, quietly debating with himself on whether to continue. "Your memories from anywhere more than eight years ago are false." He said, and regretted it instantly after seeing that look in her eyes. But still, he had no choice but to continue. "It was eight years ago that Fukyuu no Kohaku disappeared from Demon world, only shortly after doing the impossible. She successfully assassinated five of the once undefeated Immortal leaders that had once ruled Demon World."

"Wait!" she interrupted, "How could they've been assassinated? I thought they can't die?" she asked and he nodded just to acknowledge the truths she'd mentioned. "They are," he started, "But Kohaku found a way, a way that died along with her memories. That's mainly why the demons are after you, to learn the secret of killing the immortals." That's it, that's about all he knows and about all he could tell her. The had half expected her to either faint or break down after absorbing all of this, but even he couldn't predict what she tried to do next.

Slapping herself on the cheeks she let out a loud and frustrated cry as she pulled herself to her feet. "What is their problem?! Don't they have anything better to do?! I mean seriously, how much can they get out a girl who can't even recall what she had been doing a thousand years ago?!" she shouted, catching them all by surprise even Hiei, interesting. "Yukina-chan!" she said, turning to the lady of the house. "Is it OK if I spend the night here?" she asked, "I don't mean to intrude, but I'm going to need a lot of help waking up tomorrow to see Keiko off to hospital, especially after what happened tonight." She said, Yukina smiled, seemingly as though she had expected this out of the immortal after all. "Of course you can, Hotaru-chan. The guest room has already been prepared." answered Yukina, before rising to her feet to grab hold of Hotaru's upper arm. "I suggest we call it a night everyone." she said, turning to him and Hiei. "Hotaru's going to need more rest to recover." said Yukina, and he could once again feel the blood drain from his face. Had she been in pain the entire conversation? Why hadn't he notice this earlier. And also, why is he so concerned in the first place. He didn't bother to figure out, because the next thing he knows, he was supporting the girl as they made their way to her room.

"Thanks." she said, releasing herself from his grip to settle herself comfortably on the futon. "You're welcome." he said, before kneeling down to her level. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked, and she turned to him. He noticed how pale and tired she looked, her chest rising and falling at an awkward pace. "What are you talking about sensei-chan?" she teased, as she slid her legs under the covers. "I'm sure I've said plenty back there. Although, I admit, all I did was sound like a confused idiot." she continued, though, this time, it didn't look as though she was joking. "You should've said something about not feeling well. I would've explained it to you tomorrow."

"That's exactly why I didn't." she said, her eyes staring at him with a vigor that was fairly out of place with her weakened body. "I didn't want to find out about it tomorrow." she continued, "I wanted to find out what I was and who all of you were before seeing Keiko tomorrow. I knew you people weren't normal, after seeing how Yukina healed me. And I'm guessing you and that...Hiei person was probably pulling off quite a stunt back at the parking lot." she said, and all he could do was stare at her regretfully as he recalled that incident.

"Sorry." he said, desperately. He did after all owe her an apology for being so careless. Her eyes widen slightly with shock. It certainly amazes him how quickly she can revert from teases and jokes to such a deeper emotion. "What?" she started, "What are you apologizing for?" she asked, honestly confused at his words. "Don't tell me you're sorry about keeping this from me? Well, you know, I don't blame you for that or anything. I mean I understand it's not something you tell someone at first meeting, plus, you did explain it to me in the end. Though it is hard to absorb..." "That's not what I meant." he interuppted, silencing her instantly. He needed to get this through to her no matter what. He needed her to know that he killed her that evening, that it was his fault. "Back at the parking lot, I could've prevented you from being killed, but I failed." he said, and he was beginning to irritate himself with the constant flashbacks. But he didn't manage to go far with that flashback for he was taken aback when she sent her fist at his direction. He stopped her just centimeters short of his face. "What are you talking about?!" she shouted, as she sent another fist towards his abdomen. He let that one connect, just for the fun of it. Though it did sting a little. "I can't die dammit! You just spent half an hour explaining that to me, drilling holes into my once-sanity-stabled brain about how powerful and undefeated I was but now your apologizing because you couldn't prevent _the_ great immortal from being killed once this evening?! Gees you're messing with my brain!" she burst, pulling her hand forcefully away from his grip. "You know, I'm not going to accept that apology, because it doesn't make any sense, to me at least." she said, and he couldn't let her continue. He wanted her to understand what he failed to do. "If I had paid more attention, you wouldn't have been stabbed through the heart!" he said, with more volume than he found necessary but she didn't seem to mind for she answered with more or at least of equal volume. "It wasn't your bloody fault!" OK. It was certainly of more volume. "Then whose was it?!" he replied, this time with slightly more control. "It was mine!" she answered, still as loud as before, but not as stern. "You were trying to protect me, by fighting those armed madmen by yourself! And you got hurt in the process! You could've died! All because of me!" she answered, sending another fist towards him. He caught her this time, but it was to his surprise to find her trembling. Was it from anger? Or fear? He wasn't sure. Was she reacting in such a fashion out of concern for him? Well, he definitely found it amusing. "Sagara-sensei," he called, she turned to him, and it startled him to see tears welding up in her eyes. Did he cause this? "It wasn't your fault." He said, and she turned away from him instantly, tucking herself roughly completely under the covers as though finally withdrawing to sleep. "Well, it's not your fault either." She mumbled softly, "Good night, sensei-chan."

…

Closing the door behind him, his fingers lingered on its wooden surface as he recalled the short time he'd spent with the woman behind it. What has he got himself into this time? Sure, he could use the adrenaline as well as the excitement, though he'd never expected to be so worried. Of course, he had never expected to be so… drawn to her. When he was reminded of Fukyuu no Kohaku, he'd expected to find a colder character, a loner maybe, not one as warm and friendly as Hotaru Sagara.

Making his way back to the living room, he chuckled at the sight of Hiei having tea with Yukina by the dining table. The siblings had grown closer during the years, but Hiei, despite Yukina's marriage to Kuwabara, has yet to spill the beans on his identity as her brother. Though, Yukina did very little to hide her knowledge of it. Hiei was the first person she'd informed about her engagement. Bold one, she is.

"Kurama," called a voice from behind him, he turned to see Kuwabara eyeing him suspiciously. "What are you up to?" he asked, placing a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from escaping. "What are you talking about?" he questioned, although he did have an idea. "Don't pretend Kurama, you know what I mean." He started, pulling his arm away from his shoulder, to take a seat on the sofa. "Hiei mentioned how you reacted when they attacked Hotaru." Said Kuwabara, joining him on the other end of the sofa, to sighed in mild defeat. "He sure has been talking a lot more recently."

…

Cold, dark and silent, was that how death was like? She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, but she felt no pain, heard no sound and saw nothing but darkness and all she could do was wander and dwell in it. Without a voice, without a longing to return, she was trapped. As death approaches, her life flashed before her eyes recalling every sweet and bitter moments in her short twenty-six years of life. Her parents, her first day of school, graduating from highschool, meeting Keiko, her first day of teaching, her students and the sweet she-male teacher who stayed behind for her sake. She was quite fond of teasing him more than anyone else, hoping to erase that forced smile off his face and bring forth a real one. She was sure he was just being nice, but he wasn't really being sincere about it. Why is it that death seemed so familiar to her? It was as though she'd been through this cold and dark process countless times before.

"Hotaru," called a voice, his voice. Her eyes shot open and her hands atop her aching chest trying to ease away the sudden burst of pain. "Sagara-sensei," he called before knocking on her door, "are you OK?" he continued, didn't he called her by her name earlier? Her attempt to answer him failed miserably when all she managed was a groan as she rolled over to lie on her belly to further express the disturbing pain in her chest. Her hands moving in desperation hoping to lighten the growing pain, as her disillusioned senses registered the sound of the shift of the sliding door followed by the rhythm of frantic footsteps coming towards her. It was him, she was certain. He looked worried or so she thought for her eyes were barely opened, squinting them to mere millimeters to withstand her aching chest. He pulled her gently into his arm where he cradled her close to his warmth. Her groan turned into a cry of pain when he laid his hands upon hers. "Sagara," he called, and for a moment the pain subsided. "Forgive me for this." he continued, she saw his hand glowed a soft milky white, cold and soothing atop her hands, she felt its energy travel and finally come to contact with the source of the pain, for a moment she couldn't breathe, the next she was sure she could feel the flames of hell burning her alive. Though, it wasn't long before the pain diminished almost as swiftly as it came. She laid there in his arms for a few silent moments, slightly more than necessary but she just can't help feeling so comfortable in his arms. "What in the world did you just do to me?!" she scolded and started her escape from his grasp, regretting it deeply when she was finally seated across of him an arms width away. He stared at her, dumbfounded at her sudden burst of strength.

"Your wound was reopening," he started, "I was trying to close it before it got worse." He said, pulling himself to his feet. She wasn't use to this just yet, and she'd never felt this scared in a while. "You should probably get ready now, if you're planning to see Keiko within visiting hours." He continued as he made his way to the door, and she was instantly overwhelmed with joy. "Thank you, Sensei-chan." It had to be said, she smiled at him and for a moment there, she was sure he had smiled back.


End file.
